God has a specific calling for each individual believer. The “calling” of God is a ministry appointed by God for every individual believer as part of his salvation and sanctification process. It is important for a believer to stay in his God given calling if he wants to do the will of God. If he stays out of the calling God, then not every thing the believer does is according to the will of God for his life.
Paul said to Timothy, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, …” (2 Tim. 1:8, 9, NKJV, emphasis added).
The above verses say:
1. If you are saved, then you are also called. Being called is part of your salvation process. This means every believer has a unique calling.
2. Your calling is holy. This means you are set apart to do God’s will. God sets limits and boundaries around your life; you cannot do as you please. God says: “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).
3. Your calling does not depend on your works. This means it has nothing to do with your talent, your effort or you ability. God will enable and equip you to fulfill your calling.
4. God has a special distinctive purpose when by grace He calls you. This means your calling is God’s specific gift to you and you cannot earn it. Neither can you bargain with God.
5. Your calling is God’s choice and God has worked out His calling for you before time began.
Paul’s Unique Calling
God’s unique calling for the apostle Paul is seen in 2 Timothy 1:11, 12:
“…. I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (NKJV, emphasis added).
Paul’s calling was to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. He had committed his calling to God even if it meant suffering! He knew God would enable him to complete his work. Paul kept his calling of God until he died!
Paul’s Divine Calling was fulfilled
The account of Paul’s journey to Rome given in Acts 27 and 28 is a miraculous act of God to enable Paul to fulfill his calling.
God had committed to Paul the responsibility of bringing the Gospel to the Gentile world (Galatians 2:7). The key to this would be to establish a centre in the city of Rome. From there, many different channels would automatically carry the Gospel to the whole ancient world – channels of commerce, education, finance, governmental administration and natural social intercourse. Because of Paul’s unique calling, he was the person best qualified to establish such a centre in Rome.
Because of the significance of Paul’s move to Rome, satanic forces did everything in their power to destroy him before he could reach his destination. Paul was traveling on a freight ship as a prisoner in chains. Furthermore, the ship was caught up in a storm so horrific that for two full weeks the people on board never caught a glimpse of the sun by day or of the moon and the stars by night.
I believe the storm of such intensity was generated by supernatural forces – similar to the type Satan sent to destroy Job’s sons and daughter (Job 1:19).
Paul knew that even in the midst of the storm there would be no loss of life. He said to the men:
“Now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you’” (Acts 27:22, 23, 24, emphasis added).
Paul used two phrases here to describe his relationship to God: “to whom I belong” and “whom I serve”. I believe these two phrases can never be separated. If we do not belong to God, we have no right to serve Him. On the other hand, we cannot claim to be belong to God, if we are not available to Him for His service.
After the shipwreck Satan had one more challenge. The people who had escaped safely to land began to collect fuel for a fire. Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire. Satan used this as an opportunity to make one final attempt to destroy Paul – “A viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand” (Acts 28:3). This could not be a coincidence. At least Paul himself did not believe in coincidence. But, if this was not the work of Satan, out of so many people, why did the viper choose Paul as its victim?
But Paul was full of the Holy Spirit. He did not feel the need to pray or to speak in tongues. To the amazement of the local islanders who knew how deadly a viper’s bite was, Paul simply “shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm” (Acts 28:5)!
The success of Paul’s mission to Rome is summed up:
“Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him” (Acts 28:30, 31).
The Gospel for the Gentiles had been established in Rome, and from there to the whole of the Gentile world. This was Paul’s accomplishment of God’s specific calling for him (2 Tim. 11).
What was the secret of Paul’s victorious life? He himself explained in 2 Timothy 1:12:
“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (emphasis added).
The secret of Paul’s victorious living is summed up in the phrase – “Committed to Him until that Day”. In other words, he was totally at God’s disposal until the Day when Jesus comes again to take him to His Father’s House!
Whatever trial he went through; whatever tribulation and suffering he went through Paul himself confirmed what he said to the Roman Christians:
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who are love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, emphasis added).
All things work together for good
Christians must be very careful in interpreting the above verse of Scripture. I have heard many Bible teachers said, “Because all believers received the call of God for salvation; therefore all things work together for good to him from now on”.
It is true that all Christians have responded and received the calling to be saved. This is the general calling for all believers. But, Romans 8:28 speaks of the specific calling of God for individual believers.
As I mentioned from the beginning, all saved persons also receives from God a specific calling to accomplish God’s will for him (2 Tim. 1:9). In other words, the calling of God for salvation and the calling of God for the individual believer to accomplish His will are two entirely different things.
“All things work together for good” is applicable only for the believer's specific calling. It is attached with the following conditions:
1. The Christian must love God.
2. He must faithfully works out his calling given by God according to His purpose.
In other words, a believer who loves God and follows his God given calling faithfully, whatever happens to him and in whatever circumstances, God will be with him and protects him and all things will work out just the way God wants to accomplish His purpose.
This interesting spiritual law has been proven in Paul’s ministry. The same law applies to all true Christians who answer the call of God faithfully!
Biblical way of discerning and doing the will of God
There are three things a believer needs to do as soon as he is born again:
1. To discover his calling
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1, 2).
Paul says the believer needs to present his body to the Altar of God as a living sacrifice so that it could be made holy and acceptable to God. In Old Testament time animal sacrificed to God was made holy at the Altar. God then takes control of the believer’s body, which has been made holy, to do His will. God tells the believer what to do. The believer cannot do whatever he wishes independent of God. He must not conform to the way of the world. By the renewal of his mind the believer has been transformed by God so that he understands the will and the calling of God.
2. To cultivate his calling
The believer must grow and be fruitful in his calling.
“Do you not know that those who run in a race in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it (1 Cor. 9:24).
The believer needs to cultivate his calling in such a way that in the end he receives an imperishable crown (Verse 25).
Paul cultivated his calling and he was able to say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7)
3. To stay in his calling
When God calls the believer to do His will, He also sets limits for his calling. The believer needs to stay in the sphere of his calling:
Paul said, “We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us – a sphere which especially includes you” (2 Cor. 10:13).
An example of a person who failed to stay in his calling was king Saul. Saul was God’s choice (1 Samuel 9:16, 17). He started out fine, but later disobeyed Samuel and God. He presumptuously offered burn offering and peace offering at Gilgal. It was Samuel’s duty to offer burn offering and peace offering. Saul acted beyond his calling (1 Samuel 13:5 – 14). God later rejected him from being king over Israel.
This serves as a solemn warning to all servants of God. If we fail to stay in the sphere of our calling God might also reject us.
Surely, not “all things work together for good” for those who fail to stay in the sphere of their calling!
No comments:
Post a Comment